11/04/2026
We pray to our heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit guides us, and we make our requests in the name of Jesus. Have you ever felt so loved? Have you ever felt so cared for? Have you ever felt so pampered, and the fullness of such joy? In Jesus, our prayers are continued as He intercedes for us before the Father. Do you pray in His name when you enter your prayer closet? When we do this we are not just performing a formality, but are exercising His authority and obediently grasping hold of His promise. Then, when we say “Amen” are we claiming the words as our own and sharing the blessing within them?
“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
John 16:23-24 ESV
Have you ever noticed that there is something missing from the prayers that I include as a part of my devotional message each day? If so, you might insert it yourself as you finish praying them. Some of you probably stop by repeating, “Amen”, but others say, “in the name of Jesus”, and then follow that with your own Amen(s). I personally close all of my prayers with... “In the name of your Son Jesus Christ I pray, Amen, Amen, Amen.” even though I don’t write it down.
So, I write a prayer each morning at the end of my devotional message, and encourage you to join me in it, but I leave it to you to complete them with these very personal closing words. Jesus did the same in the Lord’s Prayer... have you ever noticed that there is no Amen there? If not, then it is most likely because you insert them automatically. There is no “Amen” recorded in scripture for a couple of reasons... first is that there is no reason to claim agreement, and joint ownership in your own prayer, because if you pray it, then it is yours... secondly it’s because those are words that we really should say ourselves to claim the promise in them. If they are read to ourselves without speaking them, then they may not be ours, so we claim joint ownership by repeating the amen aloud, and then we stake our claim on the promise of Jesus by saying “In the name of your Son Jesus Christ I pray”.
So, directing our prayers in Jesus’ name allows us to claim the promise, and by saying Amen, we claim joint ownership and agreement in the prayer itself. Amen does not mean “The End”, it is a term of joining, and deep-seated agreement that allows us to share in the blessing. If you look up the word “Amen” in the dictionary it defines it as meaning “so be it.” Have you ever wondered about the deeper meaning of that expression? When you say this word, are you using it to claim joint ownership in the thought that has been expressed or action that has been done, and to receive a joint blessing in it?
When Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He had not instructed them to pray in His name yet, because He had not ascended into heaven. Do we ever considered that fact when we pray today, do we consider the fact that our prayers should all be accompanied with the words “In The name of Jesus.”, and not simply “Amen?” More often than not we claim the blessing (Amen), but not the authority and promise (in the name of Jesus) because that is how we have been taught through the years, and in church... not by scripture. Give this some thought today.
Praying in the name of Jesus is more than a suggestion, it gives our prayers power by allowing Him to join in them with us (becoming His Amen), and calling on His authority and intercession before God. Listen to the words of Pastor Andrew Murray regarding our prayers offered in Jesus’ name, and how the amazing power of Christ is added when we do...
“To do this, He ever lives to pray, and in His unceasing intercession, He places Himself in living fellowship with the unceasing prayer of His redeemed ones. It is His intercession that shows itself in our prayers and gives them power that they never had before. All this is done through the Holy Spirit.” - Andrew Murray
So, as you pray with me today, and each morning, I encourage you to close these prayers by claiming them as your own (Amen), and then by grasping hold of Christ’s power by personally calling on the name of Jesus... our great intercessor. As I wrote earlier, my personal closing is “In the name of your Son Jesus Christ I pray, Amen, Amen, Amen.”, and although it is perfectly alright for you to use these same words as well, they should be made personal to you, by praying them aloud from your heart.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for hearing my prayers, and for the intercession of your Son Jesus Christ as He prays His intercessory prayer alongside mine. I thank you for the Holy Spirit who guides my words when I am at a loss, and quite often brings forth the deepest desires of my heart in groans and utterances. Holy Father, it thrills my soul to know that those requests, thus offered, are being prayed side by side with my own, by Jesus Himself, and in my quiet moments of listening, it is as if I can hear His sighs, and groans as He accompanies me. Merciful Father, I pray for all those who join with me in this prayer today, and ask that you bless them fully as they seal it with the word “Amen”, and call on the power and intercession of Jesus by offering it in His name. Be with us today Lord, and keep each of us safe within your arms as we go about our day. Let your Holy Spirit deal with every heart, and guide us in our prayers when we are at a loss for what to say. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who hears and answers prayer.
“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
John 16:23-24 ESV
And may all your saints claim your blessing and the authority of Christ as they say aloud…
In the name of your Son Jesus Christ I pray, Amen! Amen! Amen!
Rich Forbes